Questions to Ask Before Ordering Online

Ordering prescription medicine online is now ordinary. Assessing whether a particular seller should be trusted with that order is a skill most people have never been taught. This article is a checklist you can work through before you commit to anything.

Sildenafil, tadalafil, vardenafil and dapoxetine are Schedule 4 prescription-only medicines in Australia. Lawful supply requires a prescription from a registered Australian prescriber, and the Therapeutic Goods Administration prohibits advertising prescription-only medicines directly to consumers.

Is a prescription genuinely required?

Yes — start here, because it is the question that answers most of the others. A lawful Australian supplier will require a valid prescription from a registered Australian prescriber before dispensing a Schedule 4 medicine. Not a questionnaire that always says yes. Not a "consultation" with no clinician. An actual prescription.

A seller offering to skip that step is operating outside Australian law, and everything else about them — the pricing, the packaging, the promises — should be read in that light. Our guide to what happens at a telehealth ED consultation describes what a genuine assessment involves.

Can you reach a pharmacist?

A real pharmacy has a pharmacist you can put a question to. Test it before ordering. Useful questions:

• Which manufacturer makes this product, and where?
• What excipients are in it? (Relevant if you have allergies or intolerances.)
• Does it interact with the other medicines I take?
• How should I store it in an Australian summer?

The quality of the answer tells you a great deal. Our guide to questions to ask your pharmacist about ED medicine has more.

Who are they, actually?

A genuine business will publish the boring details that unlawful sellers omit:

• a registered business name and an Australian business address
• a working contact method that a person answers
• named pharmacist or clinical oversight
• clear terms, returns and complaints processes
• a privacy policy that explains what happens to your health information

If a site is anonymous, that is a decision the operator made, and it is the decision that matters most.

What exactly is being supplied?

Before ordering, you should be able to establish:

• the active ingredient and its labelled strength
• the manufacturer and country of manufacture
• the presentation — tablet, sublingual, gel
• the pack size
• whether the specific product is entered on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods, which is searchable and product-specific

Product pages such as Cenforce 100 and Vidalista 20 should state ingredient, strength and presentation plainly; if a page will not tell you what is in the box, that is the answer.

How does delivery actually work?

Ask about dispatch and delivery in business days, not vague promises. Ask whether tracking is provided, how packaging protects the product in transit through hot weather, and what discreet packaging means in practice — plain outer packaging with no product description visible, at minimum.

Our explainer on how discreet delivery works in Australia covers the mechanics. For reference, we dispatch within 24 hours on business days and ship free on orders over $150.

What happens when something goes wrong?

A legitimate seller has a clear, published answer — this is the most revealing question of all, and the one people ask last.

• What happens if a parcel is damaged, or does not arrive?
• What happens if the pack contents do not match the order?
• What is the process if a product is subject to a recall?
• Who do you contact, and how quickly do they respond?
• Is there a complaints escalation path?

Sellers with real processes answer these easily. Sellers without them become vague.

What are the price signals telling you?

Legitimate price variation exists — generic versus originator, manufacturing scale, pack size. But treat as warnings: prices dramatically below the market, urgency or scarcity tactics, pressure to buy larger quantities than prescribed, and payment methods that remove all recourse. Our guide to why ED medicine prices vary covers this in detail.

Have you had the clinical conversation?

No amount of seller due diligence substitutes for this. Before ordering anything in this class, a prescriber needs to have assessed:

• Nitrates, which are an absolute contraindication. Glyceryl trinitrate sprays, patches and tablets, isosorbide products and the recreational inhalants known as poppers must never be combined with a PDE5 inhibitor, because the resulting fall in blood pressure can be sudden, severe and life-threatening.
• Riociguat, likewise contraindicated.
• Alpha-blockers, prescribed for prostate symptoms or blood pressure, which require careful medical management.
• Significant cardiovascular disease — recent heart attack or stroke, unstable angina, uncontrolled blood pressure, certain arrhythmias — because sexual activity itself places demand on the heart.
• Inherited retinal conditions and significant liver or kidney impairment.
• Every other medicine you take, including anything bought over the counter.

Know the urgent signs too: chest pain during or after sexual activity, an erection lasting more than four hours, or sudden loss or reduction of vision or hearing. Seek urgent care, and tell the treating team a PDE5 inhibitor is involved — it rules out nitrates as an emergency treatment.

Where to check independently, and the short checklist

The TGA publishes safety alerts and maintains the ARTG. The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care produces independent material on medicines and interactions. Healthdirect Australia is a solid general starting point, and the PBS lists subsidised medicines. All four are more reliable than any seller's page, including this one.

The checklist itself is short. Prescription required. Pharmacist reachable. Business identifiable. Product fully described. Delivery explained in business days. Problems have a process. Prices sane. Clinical conversation already had.

Browse the erectile dysfunction category for context on what exists — and speak with your doctor or pharmacist before you order anything.

This article is general educational information about assessing online pharmacy suppliers, not medical advice, and not a recommendation to use any specific product. Speak with your doctor or pharmacist.